Mark Dooley grew up in New Hope, Minnesota a suburb of Minneapolis. He was fortunate to join the New Hope Fire Department in the summer of 1992. After beginning as a paid-per-call member, Mark decided that he wanted to make the fire service his career. He was offered a position with the Des Moines Fire Department in May 1994. Mark completed the paramedic program at Mercy School of Health Sciences and is a certified paramedic specialist. Mark resides in Ankeny and has been a member of the Ankeny Fire Department for over 10 years. He holds the rank of Lieutenant with both the Des Moines and Ankeny Fire Departments.
Currently, Mark is assigned to the Des Moines Fire Department Fire Prevention Section. He has been assigned to that section since 2009 and performs life-safety fire inspections for commercial businesses that require an operational permit. Additionally, he has been the lead investigator of over 150 cases as a fire investigator.